


Don't Fear The Reaper

by cherrypopgod



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Also Very Minor, Asexual Character, Cuddles, Everyone Loves Valdemar, Fluff, Hand & Finger Kink, Humor, Other, Sandwiches, Very Minor, minor medical squick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-30 15:28:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17831210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrypopgod/pseuds/cherrypopgod
Summary: Overwhelmed with running preparations for the Masquerade, the Quaestor falls into an impromptu meeting with their boss, and realizes they may be too hard on their colleagues, and on themselfBasically Valdemar and The Devil cuddle and chat in Death's realm and everything is just unrealistically nice





	Don't Fear The Reaper

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta read please tell me if i messed up

Valdemar wasn’t a person inclined to fidgeting. Not when it was so much more effective to stand still, unblinking, and unnerving whoever happened to be nearby at the time. But they were alone right now, and they found their hands restless as they stood in the library, waiting for their colleagues to arrive. There was so much at stake, they thought, picking at the crumbling cover of some old tome, reading the title without really noticing it. They had to make this work on the first try or there wouldn’t be a second chance. Not in their lifetime anyway. 

Thunder shook the trees outside, rain beginning to patter in through the open window. Valdemar swept over to close it, though the cold air was pleasantly bracing. They’d been here all day, and most of the night before, pouring over diagrams and incantations. Arcane words in arcane languages; it had taken ages to decode, and Valdemar still wasn’t certain they understood it. The sky outside was growing dark, and still no sign of the others. If they were this late on the night of the masquerade things would certainly go astray. By Valdemar’s calculations they’d only have... They glanced down at the papers to check, only for the words to swim and blur before their eyes.

A sudden, ringing headache forced Valdemar to lean against the book lined wall, clutching their head as the room grew dim around them. The room seemed to sway like a ship on dark waves, then, as if dragged by anchored chains, Valdemar was pulled under.

A prick of cold touched their face, then another, a chilled breeze following as Valdemar came to. Hadn’t they closed that window? Opening their eyes, they found themself lying not in the library, but in a familiar snowy forest. 

“Good evening, Valdemar” Death sounded surprised, though resigned, at this random intrusion on his realm. “What brings you out here?” 

That was exactly what Valdemar was wondering. They got to their feet, still light headed, in fact everything felt lighter, like drifting in water. Were they… dead? That would be incredibly inconvenient.

“Ah, I’m afraid that’s my fault” A more solid voice drove off Death’s ghostly one as The Devil appeared from the shadow of a grand fir. “Normally my chains would have dragged you to my realm, but since you’ve taken over this one.. I suppose you’re bound to it instead.”

Valdemar nodded, that made sense. “Did you need me?”

“No more than usual” The Devil shrugged “I didn’t send for you, if that’s what you’re asking. You sent yourself here”

“I did?” 

“Yes, You-” The Devil tapped Valdemar’s nose “haven’t eaten, or slept in several days, and you fainted” 

“Oh..” Valdemar looked embarrassed, they hadn’t been paying attention to that, they were surprised The Devil had been. “I was.. Preoccupied, the ritual-”

The Devil waved off their explanation with an sympathetic nod “I know. And I do appreciate it, Valdemar, but you should save your strength. Casting the ritual is only the beginning of our task.” He ducked down into the shelter created by the branches of the grand fir, where the snow gave way to soft pine mulch, gesturing for Valdemar to follow.

The branches knit together once they’d sat down, The Devil with his back against the tree, and Valdemar with their back against The Devil. Valdemar sighed, leaning their head against a warm white shoulder. “Am I stuck here now?”

“Mhm, until someone revives you. Unless you’ve got the strength to wake up on your own.”

Valdemar closed their eyes, focusing for several seconds, but only succeeded in bringing that headache here with them. 

“It’s alright.” The Devil said “The others are on their way.”

Ugh, Valdemar scoffed, that’s the last thing they needed. The Devil laughed “You should have some faith in them, they all have faith in you.”

Well, that’s justified, Valdemar IS extremely competent. They’re the one doing all the work, that’s the reason they ended up-

“The reason you ended up here is that you wouldn’t LET them help.” The Devil countered. 

“Are you sure I’m not here because you wanted to lecture me?” Valdemar said, cutting off the devil with a hand against his snout.

“I told you, I didn’t bring you here” The Devil laughed, nipping Valdemar’s fingers, only to be left with their glove as they pulled their hand away. 

In the cold air, Valdemar could feel the fever sweat that covered their hand, pulling their other glove off, they could see both were trembling in a way that had nothing to do with the cold. It seemed their condition was worsening in the physical world. 

“Ah, the burden of a body.” Said the Devil, reclaiming Valdemar’s wrist to kiss their arrhythmic pulse. “They do require constant upkeep, you should know that” He licked the sweat from their hand, relishing the taste of salt.

“More trouble than they’re worth, really” Valdemar almost giggled when The Devil’s tongue flicked over the sensitive spaces between their fingers. “I don’t know why Lucio’s so eager to go back to it”

“Hmm, there’s good things about having a body too, you can indulge in foods,” He poked at their narrow stomach, “And other things..” The Devil teased his hand a little lower before Valdemar pushed it away, as they always did. 

“Never appealed to me.”

“I know.” The Devil respectfully rested his hand back over their stomach “But at least eat something. And-”

“HURRY IT UP YOU USELESS WORM, WE’RE LOSING THEM!”’

The Devil’s furred embrace was abruptly replaced by Vulgora’s armor clad grip, their voice deafeningly loud as they clutched Valdemar in a bizarre imitation of the Pieta. Vlastomil looked equally panicked, running through the flung library doors with a large pitcher. Valdemar had just enough time to say “I’m awake!” before both they and Vulgora were doused in cold water.

“You IDIOT!” Vulgora rounded on Vlastomil while Valdemar coughed. “What’d you go and do that for?!”

“But you told me to!” protested Vlastomil, cowering.

“I didn’t say to soak ME!” 

“I brought tiny sandwiches!” Volta exclaimed, scurrying in after Vlastomil “well, most of them. Oh! You’re ok!” Volta said brightly, carefully balancing the platter while she helped Valdemar to their feet.

“Why the FUCK would you bring sandwiches?!” Vulgora said from atop Vlastomil’s throat.

“Well I, s-sandwiches always make me feel better..”

Valdemar took one of the sandwiches, they were surprisingly good. Vulgora was still berating their colleagues, who looked to Valdemar pleadingly. 

“Vulgora, it’s alright.” Valdemar said “They were only trying to help. Besides,” they bit into another sandwich “I do feel much better now”


End file.
